A Flag Recaptured: US Exit from WHO Highlights Anger Over COVID-19 Pandemic 27/01/2026 Sophia Samantaroy A dispute over an American flag has become symbolic of the bitter public dispute between the US and the World Health Organization (WHO) after the US withdrew from the organization on 22 January. In a joint statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr on […] Continue reading -> US Congressional Leaders Agree to $9.4 Billion for Global Health – Countering Trump Proposal for Deeper Cuts 15/01/2026 Sophia Samantaroy The $9.4 billion package agreed to by the US Senate and House Appropriations Committees, is more than double the $3.7 billion requested by the Trump Administration, and signals bipartisan support for maintaining significant global health aid – although the package still must be approved by both Senate and House, and could also be vetoed by […] Continue reading -> Monetary Cost of Air Pollution’s Health Impacts Dropped from EPA Assessments 13/01/2026 Sophia Samantaroy While the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will still consider the health benefits of emissions regulations, it will no longer publish estimates of the economic costs of deaths, illness and disability from unsafe air pollution levels. The US EPA, whose path-finding work on air pollution’s health impacts helped set standards internationally, will no longer put […] Continue reading -> US Shrinks Childhood Vaccine Schedule; Drops Six Common Vaccines from CDC Recommendations 06/01/2026 Sophia Samantaroy HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr makes good on promise to reduce the number of recommended vaccines. US health officials announced Monday an overhauled version of the vaccines recommended to infants and adolescents, shrinking the number of diseases for which vaccines should be administered from 17 to 11. The decision follows a December 5, 2025 […] Continue reading -> US EPA dismisses WHO Cancer Agency Determination that Widely Used Herbicide is ‘Probably Carcinogenic’ 05/01/2026 Sophia Samantaroy The US Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed a recent finding that atrazine, the second most widely-used herbicide in the United States, is “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organization’s cancer review agency. Atrazine is used extensively in the US on crops like corn, sorghum, and sugarcane. However, over 60 countries have banned the […] Continue reading -> CDC Committee Delays Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns in Critical Guidelines Shift 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy A United States vaccine advisory panel, recently reformed to include known vaccine skeptics, voted to eliminate a three-decade-long recommendation that all newborns in the US receive a vaccine to protect against hepatitis B (Hep B) at birth – a change that was denounced immediately by medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the […] Continue reading -> Collaboration Across Africa is Key to Increasing Clinical Trials 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Kenya, toxicologists and epidemiologists face a difficult choice: to pursue better-paid work to support their families, or volunteer as reviewers for vaccine clinical trials, often without the compensation needed to cover even their children’s school fees. Their dilemma underscores a broader challenge in Africa’s clinical research ecosystem. Slow, duplicative approval processes and limited regulatory […] Continue reading -> WHO Issues First-Ever Guidelines for GLP-1 Drugs – Including Obesity 04/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy First-ever WHO guidelines recommending the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies for the treatment of obesity in adults has been issued by the World Health Organization – in what the global health agency said is a “conditional” sign of approval for the cutting edge medications that have become widely popular. The new WHO recommendations go […] Continue reading -> Direct Unconditional Cash Transfers Boost Well-Being for Mothers and Babies 16/09/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Flint, Michigan, mothers face some of the highest risks of adverse health outcomes in the United States. But a new intervention is changing the outlook of Flint babies for the better. More than 10 years after the city uncovered devastating lead water contamination, Flint still struggles with the highest child poverty rate in the country […] Continue reading -> Yellow Fever ‘Spillover’ from Animals in Amazon Basin is Fueling Cases in the Americas 16/06/2025 Sophia Samantaroy The region of the Americas has seen eight times the number of yellow fever cases this year, compared to the same period in 2024. The vaccine-preventable, viral, mosquito-borne disease has surged as cases “spillover” from animals, according to a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) rapid risk assessment. Dense jungles in Colombia and Brazil have seen […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
US Congressional Leaders Agree to $9.4 Billion for Global Health – Countering Trump Proposal for Deeper Cuts 15/01/2026 Sophia Samantaroy The $9.4 billion package agreed to by the US Senate and House Appropriations Committees, is more than double the $3.7 billion requested by the Trump Administration, and signals bipartisan support for maintaining significant global health aid – although the package still must be approved by both Senate and House, and could also be vetoed by […] Continue reading -> Monetary Cost of Air Pollution’s Health Impacts Dropped from EPA Assessments 13/01/2026 Sophia Samantaroy While the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will still consider the health benefits of emissions regulations, it will no longer publish estimates of the economic costs of deaths, illness and disability from unsafe air pollution levels. The US EPA, whose path-finding work on air pollution’s health impacts helped set standards internationally, will no longer put […] Continue reading -> US Shrinks Childhood Vaccine Schedule; Drops Six Common Vaccines from CDC Recommendations 06/01/2026 Sophia Samantaroy HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr makes good on promise to reduce the number of recommended vaccines. US health officials announced Monday an overhauled version of the vaccines recommended to infants and adolescents, shrinking the number of diseases for which vaccines should be administered from 17 to 11. The decision follows a December 5, 2025 […] Continue reading -> US EPA dismisses WHO Cancer Agency Determination that Widely Used Herbicide is ‘Probably Carcinogenic’ 05/01/2026 Sophia Samantaroy The US Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed a recent finding that atrazine, the second most widely-used herbicide in the United States, is “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organization’s cancer review agency. Atrazine is used extensively in the US on crops like corn, sorghum, and sugarcane. However, over 60 countries have banned the […] Continue reading -> CDC Committee Delays Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns in Critical Guidelines Shift 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy A United States vaccine advisory panel, recently reformed to include known vaccine skeptics, voted to eliminate a three-decade-long recommendation that all newborns in the US receive a vaccine to protect against hepatitis B (Hep B) at birth – a change that was denounced immediately by medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the […] Continue reading -> Collaboration Across Africa is Key to Increasing Clinical Trials 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Kenya, toxicologists and epidemiologists face a difficult choice: to pursue better-paid work to support their families, or volunteer as reviewers for vaccine clinical trials, often without the compensation needed to cover even their children’s school fees. Their dilemma underscores a broader challenge in Africa’s clinical research ecosystem. Slow, duplicative approval processes and limited regulatory […] Continue reading -> WHO Issues First-Ever Guidelines for GLP-1 Drugs – Including Obesity 04/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy First-ever WHO guidelines recommending the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies for the treatment of obesity in adults has been issued by the World Health Organization – in what the global health agency said is a “conditional” sign of approval for the cutting edge medications that have become widely popular. The new WHO recommendations go […] Continue reading -> Direct Unconditional Cash Transfers Boost Well-Being for Mothers and Babies 16/09/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Flint, Michigan, mothers face some of the highest risks of adverse health outcomes in the United States. But a new intervention is changing the outlook of Flint babies for the better. More than 10 years after the city uncovered devastating lead water contamination, Flint still struggles with the highest child poverty rate in the country […] Continue reading -> Yellow Fever ‘Spillover’ from Animals in Amazon Basin is Fueling Cases in the Americas 16/06/2025 Sophia Samantaroy The region of the Americas has seen eight times the number of yellow fever cases this year, compared to the same period in 2024. The vaccine-preventable, viral, mosquito-borne disease has surged as cases “spillover” from animals, according to a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) rapid risk assessment. Dense jungles in Colombia and Brazil have seen […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Monetary Cost of Air Pollution’s Health Impacts Dropped from EPA Assessments 13/01/2026 Sophia Samantaroy While the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will still consider the health benefits of emissions regulations, it will no longer publish estimates of the economic costs of deaths, illness and disability from unsafe air pollution levels. The US EPA, whose path-finding work on air pollution’s health impacts helped set standards internationally, will no longer put […] Continue reading -> US Shrinks Childhood Vaccine Schedule; Drops Six Common Vaccines from CDC Recommendations 06/01/2026 Sophia Samantaroy HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr makes good on promise to reduce the number of recommended vaccines. US health officials announced Monday an overhauled version of the vaccines recommended to infants and adolescents, shrinking the number of diseases for which vaccines should be administered from 17 to 11. The decision follows a December 5, 2025 […] Continue reading -> US EPA dismisses WHO Cancer Agency Determination that Widely Used Herbicide is ‘Probably Carcinogenic’ 05/01/2026 Sophia Samantaroy The US Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed a recent finding that atrazine, the second most widely-used herbicide in the United States, is “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organization’s cancer review agency. Atrazine is used extensively in the US on crops like corn, sorghum, and sugarcane. However, over 60 countries have banned the […] Continue reading -> CDC Committee Delays Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns in Critical Guidelines Shift 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy A United States vaccine advisory panel, recently reformed to include known vaccine skeptics, voted to eliminate a three-decade-long recommendation that all newborns in the US receive a vaccine to protect against hepatitis B (Hep B) at birth – a change that was denounced immediately by medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the […] Continue reading -> Collaboration Across Africa is Key to Increasing Clinical Trials 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Kenya, toxicologists and epidemiologists face a difficult choice: to pursue better-paid work to support their families, or volunteer as reviewers for vaccine clinical trials, often without the compensation needed to cover even their children’s school fees. Their dilemma underscores a broader challenge in Africa’s clinical research ecosystem. Slow, duplicative approval processes and limited regulatory […] Continue reading -> WHO Issues First-Ever Guidelines for GLP-1 Drugs – Including Obesity 04/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy First-ever WHO guidelines recommending the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies for the treatment of obesity in adults has been issued by the World Health Organization – in what the global health agency said is a “conditional” sign of approval for the cutting edge medications that have become widely popular. The new WHO recommendations go […] Continue reading -> Direct Unconditional Cash Transfers Boost Well-Being for Mothers and Babies 16/09/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Flint, Michigan, mothers face some of the highest risks of adverse health outcomes in the United States. But a new intervention is changing the outlook of Flint babies for the better. More than 10 years after the city uncovered devastating lead water contamination, Flint still struggles with the highest child poverty rate in the country […] Continue reading -> Yellow Fever ‘Spillover’ from Animals in Amazon Basin is Fueling Cases in the Americas 16/06/2025 Sophia Samantaroy The region of the Americas has seen eight times the number of yellow fever cases this year, compared to the same period in 2024. The vaccine-preventable, viral, mosquito-borne disease has surged as cases “spillover” from animals, according to a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) rapid risk assessment. Dense jungles in Colombia and Brazil have seen […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
US Shrinks Childhood Vaccine Schedule; Drops Six Common Vaccines from CDC Recommendations 06/01/2026 Sophia Samantaroy HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr makes good on promise to reduce the number of recommended vaccines. US health officials announced Monday an overhauled version of the vaccines recommended to infants and adolescents, shrinking the number of diseases for which vaccines should be administered from 17 to 11. The decision follows a December 5, 2025 […] Continue reading -> US EPA dismisses WHO Cancer Agency Determination that Widely Used Herbicide is ‘Probably Carcinogenic’ 05/01/2026 Sophia Samantaroy The US Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed a recent finding that atrazine, the second most widely-used herbicide in the United States, is “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organization’s cancer review agency. Atrazine is used extensively in the US on crops like corn, sorghum, and sugarcane. However, over 60 countries have banned the […] Continue reading -> CDC Committee Delays Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns in Critical Guidelines Shift 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy A United States vaccine advisory panel, recently reformed to include known vaccine skeptics, voted to eliminate a three-decade-long recommendation that all newborns in the US receive a vaccine to protect against hepatitis B (Hep B) at birth – a change that was denounced immediately by medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the […] Continue reading -> Collaboration Across Africa is Key to Increasing Clinical Trials 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Kenya, toxicologists and epidemiologists face a difficult choice: to pursue better-paid work to support their families, or volunteer as reviewers for vaccine clinical trials, often without the compensation needed to cover even their children’s school fees. Their dilemma underscores a broader challenge in Africa’s clinical research ecosystem. Slow, duplicative approval processes and limited regulatory […] Continue reading -> WHO Issues First-Ever Guidelines for GLP-1 Drugs – Including Obesity 04/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy First-ever WHO guidelines recommending the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies for the treatment of obesity in adults has been issued by the World Health Organization – in what the global health agency said is a “conditional” sign of approval for the cutting edge medications that have become widely popular. The new WHO recommendations go […] Continue reading -> Direct Unconditional Cash Transfers Boost Well-Being for Mothers and Babies 16/09/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Flint, Michigan, mothers face some of the highest risks of adverse health outcomes in the United States. But a new intervention is changing the outlook of Flint babies for the better. More than 10 years after the city uncovered devastating lead water contamination, Flint still struggles with the highest child poverty rate in the country […] Continue reading -> Yellow Fever ‘Spillover’ from Animals in Amazon Basin is Fueling Cases in the Americas 16/06/2025 Sophia Samantaroy The region of the Americas has seen eight times the number of yellow fever cases this year, compared to the same period in 2024. The vaccine-preventable, viral, mosquito-borne disease has surged as cases “spillover” from animals, according to a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) rapid risk assessment. Dense jungles in Colombia and Brazil have seen […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
US EPA dismisses WHO Cancer Agency Determination that Widely Used Herbicide is ‘Probably Carcinogenic’ 05/01/2026 Sophia Samantaroy The US Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed a recent finding that atrazine, the second most widely-used herbicide in the United States, is “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organization’s cancer review agency. Atrazine is used extensively in the US on crops like corn, sorghum, and sugarcane. However, over 60 countries have banned the […] Continue reading -> CDC Committee Delays Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns in Critical Guidelines Shift 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy A United States vaccine advisory panel, recently reformed to include known vaccine skeptics, voted to eliminate a three-decade-long recommendation that all newborns in the US receive a vaccine to protect against hepatitis B (Hep B) at birth – a change that was denounced immediately by medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the […] Continue reading -> Collaboration Across Africa is Key to Increasing Clinical Trials 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Kenya, toxicologists and epidemiologists face a difficult choice: to pursue better-paid work to support their families, or volunteer as reviewers for vaccine clinical trials, often without the compensation needed to cover even their children’s school fees. Their dilemma underscores a broader challenge in Africa’s clinical research ecosystem. Slow, duplicative approval processes and limited regulatory […] Continue reading -> WHO Issues First-Ever Guidelines for GLP-1 Drugs – Including Obesity 04/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy First-ever WHO guidelines recommending the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies for the treatment of obesity in adults has been issued by the World Health Organization – in what the global health agency said is a “conditional” sign of approval for the cutting edge medications that have become widely popular. The new WHO recommendations go […] Continue reading -> Direct Unconditional Cash Transfers Boost Well-Being for Mothers and Babies 16/09/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Flint, Michigan, mothers face some of the highest risks of adverse health outcomes in the United States. But a new intervention is changing the outlook of Flint babies for the better. More than 10 years after the city uncovered devastating lead water contamination, Flint still struggles with the highest child poverty rate in the country […] Continue reading -> Yellow Fever ‘Spillover’ from Animals in Amazon Basin is Fueling Cases in the Americas 16/06/2025 Sophia Samantaroy The region of the Americas has seen eight times the number of yellow fever cases this year, compared to the same period in 2024. The vaccine-preventable, viral, mosquito-borne disease has surged as cases “spillover” from animals, according to a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) rapid risk assessment. Dense jungles in Colombia and Brazil have seen […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
CDC Committee Delays Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns in Critical Guidelines Shift 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy A United States vaccine advisory panel, recently reformed to include known vaccine skeptics, voted to eliminate a three-decade-long recommendation that all newborns in the US receive a vaccine to protect against hepatitis B (Hep B) at birth – a change that was denounced immediately by medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the […] Continue reading -> Collaboration Across Africa is Key to Increasing Clinical Trials 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Kenya, toxicologists and epidemiologists face a difficult choice: to pursue better-paid work to support their families, or volunteer as reviewers for vaccine clinical trials, often without the compensation needed to cover even their children’s school fees. Their dilemma underscores a broader challenge in Africa’s clinical research ecosystem. Slow, duplicative approval processes and limited regulatory […] Continue reading -> WHO Issues First-Ever Guidelines for GLP-1 Drugs – Including Obesity 04/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy First-ever WHO guidelines recommending the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies for the treatment of obesity in adults has been issued by the World Health Organization – in what the global health agency said is a “conditional” sign of approval for the cutting edge medications that have become widely popular. The new WHO recommendations go […] Continue reading -> Direct Unconditional Cash Transfers Boost Well-Being for Mothers and Babies 16/09/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Flint, Michigan, mothers face some of the highest risks of adverse health outcomes in the United States. But a new intervention is changing the outlook of Flint babies for the better. More than 10 years after the city uncovered devastating lead water contamination, Flint still struggles with the highest child poverty rate in the country […] Continue reading -> Yellow Fever ‘Spillover’ from Animals in Amazon Basin is Fueling Cases in the Americas 16/06/2025 Sophia Samantaroy The region of the Americas has seen eight times the number of yellow fever cases this year, compared to the same period in 2024. The vaccine-preventable, viral, mosquito-borne disease has surged as cases “spillover” from animals, according to a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) rapid risk assessment. Dense jungles in Colombia and Brazil have seen […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Collaboration Across Africa is Key to Increasing Clinical Trials 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Kenya, toxicologists and epidemiologists face a difficult choice: to pursue better-paid work to support their families, or volunteer as reviewers for vaccine clinical trials, often without the compensation needed to cover even their children’s school fees. Their dilemma underscores a broader challenge in Africa’s clinical research ecosystem. Slow, duplicative approval processes and limited regulatory […] Continue reading -> WHO Issues First-Ever Guidelines for GLP-1 Drugs – Including Obesity 04/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy First-ever WHO guidelines recommending the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies for the treatment of obesity in adults has been issued by the World Health Organization – in what the global health agency said is a “conditional” sign of approval for the cutting edge medications that have become widely popular. The new WHO recommendations go […] Continue reading -> Direct Unconditional Cash Transfers Boost Well-Being for Mothers and Babies 16/09/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Flint, Michigan, mothers face some of the highest risks of adverse health outcomes in the United States. But a new intervention is changing the outlook of Flint babies for the better. More than 10 years after the city uncovered devastating lead water contamination, Flint still struggles with the highest child poverty rate in the country […] Continue reading -> Yellow Fever ‘Spillover’ from Animals in Amazon Basin is Fueling Cases in the Americas 16/06/2025 Sophia Samantaroy The region of the Americas has seen eight times the number of yellow fever cases this year, compared to the same period in 2024. The vaccine-preventable, viral, mosquito-borne disease has surged as cases “spillover” from animals, according to a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) rapid risk assessment. Dense jungles in Colombia and Brazil have seen […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
WHO Issues First-Ever Guidelines for GLP-1 Drugs – Including Obesity 04/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy First-ever WHO guidelines recommending the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies for the treatment of obesity in adults has been issued by the World Health Organization – in what the global health agency said is a “conditional” sign of approval for the cutting edge medications that have become widely popular. The new WHO recommendations go […] Continue reading -> Direct Unconditional Cash Transfers Boost Well-Being for Mothers and Babies 16/09/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Flint, Michigan, mothers face some of the highest risks of adverse health outcomes in the United States. But a new intervention is changing the outlook of Flint babies for the better. More than 10 years after the city uncovered devastating lead water contamination, Flint still struggles with the highest child poverty rate in the country […] Continue reading -> Yellow Fever ‘Spillover’ from Animals in Amazon Basin is Fueling Cases in the Americas 16/06/2025 Sophia Samantaroy The region of the Americas has seen eight times the number of yellow fever cases this year, compared to the same period in 2024. The vaccine-preventable, viral, mosquito-borne disease has surged as cases “spillover” from animals, according to a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) rapid risk assessment. Dense jungles in Colombia and Brazil have seen […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Direct Unconditional Cash Transfers Boost Well-Being for Mothers and Babies 16/09/2025 Sophia Samantaroy In Flint, Michigan, mothers face some of the highest risks of adverse health outcomes in the United States. But a new intervention is changing the outlook of Flint babies for the better. More than 10 years after the city uncovered devastating lead water contamination, Flint still struggles with the highest child poverty rate in the country […] Continue reading -> Yellow Fever ‘Spillover’ from Animals in Amazon Basin is Fueling Cases in the Americas 16/06/2025 Sophia Samantaroy The region of the Americas has seen eight times the number of yellow fever cases this year, compared to the same period in 2024. The vaccine-preventable, viral, mosquito-borne disease has surged as cases “spillover” from animals, according to a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) rapid risk assessment. Dense jungles in Colombia and Brazil have seen […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Yellow Fever ‘Spillover’ from Animals in Amazon Basin is Fueling Cases in the Americas 16/06/2025 Sophia Samantaroy The region of the Americas has seen eight times the number of yellow fever cases this year, compared to the same period in 2024. The vaccine-preventable, viral, mosquito-borne disease has surged as cases “spillover” from animals, according to a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) rapid risk assessment. Dense jungles in Colombia and Brazil have seen […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts